Agricultural Careers

By: Dr. Frank Flanders and Tabitha Lovell

Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office

Georgia Department of Education

March 2006

Job Duties & Responsibilities

•Create and maintain a portfolio of work for clients to review

•Meet with clients and gain an understanding of what they are asking for in an illustration (client may be a business or an individual)

•Compose the desired illustration using drawing and computer techniques by the client’s deadline or until client is satisfied

•Create thumbnails, rough sketches, and preliminary work for the client to approve before the official illustration is finished

•Have an in-depth understanding of new graphic design technologies and practices

•Able to use the an Apple/Macintosh computer and scientific illustration software

•Should be hard workers who are dependable and efficient

•Must be able to meet deadlines •Must have good communication skills so they

know exactly what their clients want in an illustration

•Need natural talent for design and eye appeal because this is not a skill that anyone can learn while on the job

•Will find being able to draw beneficial•Must be able to sit for long periods of time•Need good eye-sight for determining hues and

shades of color and working on a computer for lengths of time

Salary

•Median annual earnings in 2002 was $35,260

•The middle 50% earned between $23,970 and $48,040

•The lowest 10% earned less than $16,900

•The highest 10% earned more than $73,560

Work Environment

•Artists employed by publishing companies, advertising agencies, and design firms generally work a standard workweek•During busy periods, scientific illustrators work overtime to meet deadlines•Mostly work at a computer in a studio or office•Depending on the type of business, may work alone or with other people

Becoming a Scientific Illustrator

•A bachelor’s degree is preferred•A master’s degree in medical illustration is recommended, if this is the desired field•Illustrators learn drawing and sketching skills through training in art programs and through extensive practice•Some illustrators are contracted on the basis of portfolios of their past work

Career ResourcesNational Association of Schools of Art and

Design- (NASAD)11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21

Reston, VA 20190-5248Internet: http://nasad.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp

American Society of Botanical Artists- (ASBA)

47 Fifth AvenueNew York, NY 10003

Internet: http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/ASBA

Association of Medical IllustratorsInternet: http://www.ami.org

Fairman Studios: Medical and Biological Illustration and Animation

Internet: http://fairmanstudios.com/faq.htm

Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Inc.Internet: http://www.gnsi.org